Recent theatrical viewings

[BoyScoutKevin]

Nicholas Spark's "The Last Song" w/ Miley Cyrus.

Obviously, not the greatest film ever made, but I found it interesting. Maybe because it is one of the few films I've seen, where I actually read the book, before seeing the film.
Thus, I found the changes between book and film interesting.

Location
book: Norch Carolina
film: Georgia

Jonah wears glasses
book: Yes
film: No

Family has car
book: No
film: Yes

Items shoplifted
book: Music cds
film: jewelry

Mikey's death
book: six years previously
film: one year previously

And what I found most interesting. In the book there is no indication to the race of the Baptist preacher. He could be black, blue, or green for all I know. But, in the film he's played by a black actor. Thus, did casting say: "We need a black actor. Find the best black actor to play the part." or Did casting say: "Find the best actor to play the part." And the best actor just happened to be black.

That was the minor changes in the film. I also found the major changes made interesting.
Such as . . .

Simply the plot.
Simply the characters
Play down the religion in the book.
Play up the humor in the book.

All I guess to make the film more palpable for audiences.

[Rev. Powell]

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (2009): Complicated Swedish mystery/thriller involving a forty year old unsolved murder with more than thirty suspects, an investigative reporter who's been framed for libel, and a technogeek punkette who investigates the reporter for reasons of her own.  Satisfying puzzler where the detective is more interesting than the investigation; contains a rape/revenge subplot that some may find graphic and disturbing.  From a series of novels, intended as the start of a franchise. Worth seeing if you like dark detective stories.  4/5.

[Killer Bees]

The Hurt Locker
Sherlock Holmes
Clash of the Titans - 3D
The Book of Eli
Kick Ass

I'm just loving the cinema these days.

Will be seeing Legion when it comes out.  Seriously, who can resist angels with guns? 

[Sleepyskull]

The Hurt Locker
Sherlock Holmes
Clash of the Titans - 3D
The Book of Eli
Kick Ass

I'm just loving the cinema these days.

Will be seeing Legion when it comes out.  Seriously, who can resist angels with guns? 

I saw  Legion  and it was entertaining, but loads of different things could have been done better.   I'm not going to name specifics, but some parts weren't even cheesy fun, but rather just...  painful.

It's definitely worth a watch though! But only if you want a totally cheesy movie.

On a side note (months later I still can't get over this) I met the guy (Doug Jones) that plays the Ice Cream Man. Totally great guy.

[Killer Bees]

The Hurt Locker
Sherlock Holmes
Clash of the Titans - 3D
The Book of Eli
Kick Ass

I'm just loving the cinema these days.

Will be seeing Legion when it comes out.  Seriously, who can resist angels with guns? 

I love that guy!  How did you manage to meet him? 

I forgot to add I've seen Wolfman with Benicio Del Toro too
I saw  Legion  and it was entertaining, but loads of different things could have been done better.   I'm not going to name specifics, but some parts weren't even cheesy fun, but rather just...  painful.

It's definitely worth a watch though! But only if you want a totally cheesy movie.

On a side note (months later I still can't get over this) I met the guy (Doug Jones) that plays the Ice Cream Man. Totally great guy.

[Sleepyskull]

Killer Bees - I met Doug at a horror convention here in Maryland last September.  He was so friendly!  As soon as we said hello, he gave me a huge hug!

[Rev. Powell]

KICK ASS: Nerdy kid decides to become a superhero, becomes a youtube and media sensation, then is drawn into more trouble than he can handle when he meets a father/daughter team of real masked vigilantes.  Teen wish-fulfillment fantasy with too much cheap "black comedy" violence; it loses whatever charm it had upon the introduction of a ten-year old foul-mouthed sadist.  It's also very Hollywood and very predictable.  I realize most here disagree with me on this one, but this was a disappointment.  2.5/5.

[Jim H]

KICK ASS: Nerdy kid decides to become a superhero, becomes a youtube and media sensation, then is drawn into more trouble than he can handle when he meets a father/daughter team of real masked vigilantes.  Teen wish-fulfillment fantasy with too much cheap "black comedy" violence; it loses whatever charm it had upon the introduction of a ten-year old foul-mouthed sadist.  It's also very Hollywood and very predictable.  I realize most here disagree with me on this one, but this was a disappointment.  2.5/5.

Yeah, it's interesting to note this.  I'm not going to get into details as it'd be spoilerific, but almost every major narrative change from the Kick-Ass comic for the film adaptation served to make the film more "Hollywoodish" and predictable.  I liked a lot of the non-structural changes in the film (like what Big Daddy is like, and the slight expansion of Kick-Ass's two friends), but felt the structural changes weren't as good.

Ok, I'll get into a couple spoilers...

***SPOILERS FOR COMIC AND THE FILM***


The most obvious difference is the love interest - Kick-Ass doesn't get her in the comic.  Which is a little more believable.  I felt the comic was overly cruel in the way this situation turns out for Kick-Ass, though.  Another major difference is Red Mist just appears - you know he's the son of a crime boss, but you don't know until the end that he's betraying Kick-Ass.  And, as you may guess, the ending is a lot less over-the-top, and Kick-Ass doesn't do much of anything in it (no jetpack).


***END***

[Psycho Circus]

KICK ASS: Nerdy kid decides to become a superhero, becomes a youtube and media sensation, then is drawn into more trouble than he can handle when he meets a father/daughter team of real masked vigilantes.  Teen wish-fulfillment fantasy with too much cheap "black comedy" violence; it loses whatever charm it had upon the introduction of a ten-year old foul-mouthed sadist.  It's also very Hollywood and very predictable.  I realize most here disagree with me on this one, but this was a disappointment.  2.5/5.

You don't even know how warm and fuzzy inside you have made me by disliking this movie. 

[Rev. Powell]

I'm happy to make you warm and fuzzy, Circus.  I was afraid everyone was falling over themselves so fast to praise this thing that I would be ostracized for not really liking it.

Jim H, although I never read the novel I noticed exactly the point you did about the romantic interest and thought it was badly handled and unbelievable.  Also, at another point the heroes look to be in a jam they can't possibly get out of, but anyone who's seen more than two or three movies knows exactly how they are going to be rescued, taking all of the supposed tension out of the scene.

[Sleepyskull]

I have not seen Kick Ass but I have now decided not to.  I was on the fence about seeing it.  It looked like it had the potential to be good but it seems like it's average, predictable, and annoying.

[Killer Bees]

Killer Bees - I met Doug at a horror convention here in Maryland last September.  He was so friendly!  As soon as we said hello, he gave me a huge hug!

Okay, now I'm jealous!

He was great in Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer and the Hellboy movies.  It was the Hellboy movies that I became aware of him.

I can completely believe that he would be a wonderful man.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Ye-es.

"Oceans"

Disneynature's "Oceans"

One of those symbiotic films that benefit both parties. Disney gets a film it can show in theaters without spending the money to make it, and the filmmakers get a wider audience for their film and an additional revenue stream.

Several surprises.

I actually liked this film better than several of the films I've seen more recently in theaters. I found the excitement more exciting. The emotions more emoting.

And while I'm use to seeing the seabed as a colorful collection of coral formations, most seabeds are actually more mundane. Either totally sandy, totally rocky, totally weedy, or more than one and hardly that colorful.

And, apparently, part of the film was shot off the coastal waters of the state in which I currently live Texas.

And yes, there will be a film for Earth Day, April 22, 2011. "African Cats" (i.e. cheetahs and lions.)

[Rev. Powell]

I liked OCEANS even better than BoyScoutKevin.

OCEANS: Amazing documentary footage chronicling the vast variety marine life.  It's all about the images, and thanks to technological advances it's no exaggeration to say these are some of the most awe-inspiring, never-before-seen pictures captured in the history of cinema.  A scene where dive-bombing seagulls attack a school of sardines will likely go down as the best action sequence of 2010.  Needs to be seen on the big screen.  5/5.

[Rev. Powell]

I had the choice of going to see a documentary for $3, or IRON MAN 2 for $6.  Screw you, Hollywood!

THE ART OF THE STEAL (2009): Documentary on the political infighting in the struggle to control the Barnes Foundation, a charitable trust that owns over $4 billion dollars in post-Impressionist masterpieces.  Surprisingly interesting (if one sided) tale of love of money triumphing over the love of art; how many movies will you ever see where the Pew Charitable Trust and the Philadelphia Museum of Art are the bad guys? 3.5/5.